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Monday, September 26, 2016

My employees were drinking this God-awful looking drink in a water bottle one day and I questioned them... "What in the world are y'all drinking?! Ughhh!!!" It was green with flecks of what looked like someone had just mowed the grass next to an open drink next to a pond. They assured me that it was indeed delicious AND nutritious and that I MUST try it. After telling me what all was in it, and telling me that one of my main cooks, Brenda, came up with the recipe, I decided to give it a shot. Brenda is an excellent cook, so it couldn't be bad. After one sip of the drink, I'll admit, I was hooked.

I had most of these ingredients at home so I decided to try it out on my little ones. We typically have most of these fruits and honey as well as the baby spinach already on hand. We had leftover kale from a soup we had just made... and I keep bananas frozen in chunks in the freezer just for making smoothies when they get ripe. So I think I really only had to purchase a kiwi and the tea. All in all, I figured I didn't have much to lose by trying it out.

Full disclosure. I've not measured anything out properly any time I've made it. I've truly made it by the "handful" or the size of the fruit.

1 ripe kiwi

1 ripe banana (preferably frozen, but not necessary)

1/2 apple cut into chunks with core removed (skins on)

1 handful of fresh pineapple chunks

1 handful of fresh kale with spines removed. (3 leaves total)

1 handful fresh baby spinach

1 cup lemon ginger tea, steeped and cooled

2-3 Tbsp local honey

Phew! Stuff it all down and try to squeeze the lid on! :)

Give it a whirl until it is well blended.

We affectionately call it a "Shrek" spa smoothie for obvious reasons. HaHa! The kids wonder how something that looks so "disgusting" (their words) can taste so yummy. :D I'll have to tell you that it took quite a bit of convincing to get them to taste them, but once they did, they admitted that they were definitely "Yummy!"

Here's one little girl who likes to drink them before school with her breakfast. She says they give her a lot of energy and she doesn't get sleepy on the bus. Score!!! I even started getting notes left by the coffee pot in the evening (that's when I fix the pot for the next morning)... "Green smoothie for Lily in the morning, please."

Method:

Add ingredients to blender and enjoy! If you are iffy on the amount of "green" stuff, cut it down a bit until you are more sure. It really helps to have frozen bananas on hand. You know how you always tend to have a couple of bananas that get super ripe that nobody ate? Well cut them into pieces and throw them into a ziptop bag. They are SO PERFECT for smoothies!

Monday, September 12, 2016

My kids LOVE naan and an Indian dish called "Butter Chicken." I recently found two sources of this magical Butter Chicken sauce, so I haven't made my own yet, but naan is certainly something you can make at home without having to go out in search of exotic spices or unfamiliar ingredients. You may actually have all of these very common ingredients on hand already.

Naan is an oven-baked flatbread from Northern India. It is found in the cuisines of West, Central, and Southern Asia. Generally, it resembles a pita bread and is leavened with yeast. Naan would authentically be cooked in a tandoor oven, from which tandoori cooking gets its name. Buttermilk or yogurt is used rather than water to give the bread a distinctively tangy taste, and also results in a softer dough. The bread is often used to scoop up other foods, like soups or gravies, or sometimes stuffed with a filling. Often the dough may also be filled filled with aromatic seeds of this region of the world.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, yeast and warm water. The warm water activates the yeast and the sugar gives the yeast "something to eat." LOL That's what my mom used to always tell me.

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp dry active yeast

1/2 cup warm water

Stir to dissolve everything and just let it sit for a few minutes or until it gets frothy on top.

Once it gets frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt and egg until everything is combined.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 large egg

stir to combine

In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with the salt.

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined.

Continue adding the flour, a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon. (About another 1.5cups or so.)

more all purpose flour

Now you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes. You can add small amounts of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You'll end up using a total of about 2.5 to 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft, but not too sticky. Avoid using too much flour as you knead, or your dough will be too dry and stiff.

*If any of you are apprehensive about your kneading abilities, this should put your mind at ease. If an 8 y/o can do it... YOU can do it. It does NOT have to be perfect.

Loosely cover the dough in an oiled bowl and allow it to rise until double in size (about 1 hour). After it rises, gently flatten the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 equal pieces.

Hey look! I actually got to do something! :) Whoop whoop!

Shape each piece of dough into a small bowl.

When you are ready to cook the pieces of naan, heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter.

Again, evidence that it doesn't have to be perfect. This is "street food."

*I've read that for the most bubbles in the bread, you should not roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. And that medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough without burning the surface. You need to experiment with your skillet and your stovetop.

Place the rolled out piece of dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. You can see here that a couple bubbles are just beginning to form in my dough. You do not need any oil of any sort in the pan.

Flip the dough (I used a pair of long handled tongs) and cook the other side until golden brown as well.

Stack the cooked naan on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces.

Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs.

We ate ours with one of our favorite Indian foods, "Butter Chicken." :) But however you eat yours, make sure you have extra sauce on your plate because the naan is perfect for running around in all that yummy gravy!

1 - In a small bowl, combine sugar, yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve everything and just let it sit for a few minutes or until it gets frothy on top. Once it gets frothy, whisk in the oil, yogurt and egg until everything is combined.

2 - In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with the salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding the flour, a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon. (About another 1.5 cups or so.)

3 - Now you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes. You can add small amounts of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You'll end up using a total of about 2.5 to 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft, but not too sticky. Avoid using too much flour as you knead, or your dough will be too dry and stiff.

*If any of you are apprehensive about your kneading abilities, this should put your mind at ease. If an 8 y/o can do it... YOU can do it. It does NOT have to be perfect.

4 - Loosely cover the dough in an oiled bowl and allow it to rise until double in size (about 1 hour). After it rises, gently flatten the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 equal pieces.

Shape each piece of dough into a small bowl.

5 - When you are ready to cook the pieces of naan, heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter.

*I've read that for the most bubbles in the bread, you should not roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. And that medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough without burning the surface. You need to experiment with your skillet and your stovetop.

6 - Place the rolled out piece of dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the bottom is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. You can see here that a couple bubbles are just beginning to form in my dough. You do not need any oil of any sort in the pan.

Flip the dough (I used a pair of long handled tongs) and cook the other side until golden brown as well.

Stack the cooked naan on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces.

About Me

I am a prototypical modern American mom. I am retired professor of Anatomy & Physiology at a private Christian University, and mother to four beautiful children (3 boys and 1 girl). I am also a food blogger, cookbook author, and have owned my own cafe. My background is a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience with emphasis on antioxidant research. My postdoctoral training was in human obesity and caloric restriction.

I grew up in South Louisiana where the best food in the world is routinely brought from the garden and the water, and put on the table. Everyone in my family of origin is a wonderful cook, so I guess it is just natural that I show my love to my family through food.

I love cooking and eating... and teaching my children the art and techniques of being in the kitchen. My mother taught me that there is always SOME part of the cooking process that even small children can help with...so my kids are indeed very familiar with the kitchen, the kitchen tools, use of homegrown herbs, etc.